Nintendo Entertainment System Talk about a success story. Nintendo's jump into the console market was a gamble which made a simple toy company into one of the biggest Videogame console manufacturers in the biz. Nintendo began it's gaming history producing arcade hits like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros, and selling rights to the games for home console use. Eventually Nintendo decided to take a crack at the home console industry. The Nintendo Famicom (FAMIly COMputer) videogame system was released in Japan in 1984. The consoles great specs combined with ports on Nintendos popular arcade titles quickly made it a popular favorite in Japan selling 2.5 million systems in that same year. With success achieved in Japan, Nintendo set it's eyes on the American gaming market. They began negotiations with the American videogame console industry leader Atari to bring the Famicom to the U.S. The "Great Video Game Crash of 1984"and some poor business announcements forced Atari to pull out of the agreement. After negotiations with Atari to sell the Famicom in the U.S. fell through, Nintendo decided to release the system on their own in 1985, ignoring the weak videogame market and the recent crash occuring in the States. Nintendo take a chance? You bet, but they were not going to gamble without doing their homework. They called the U.S. version of the Famicom the Nintendo Entertainment System, and designed it to look less like a videogame console and more like something that would fit in with other home entertainment appliances.Nintendo took steps to make the system seem like a computer or a VCR. Nintendo even agreed to buy back all unsold inventory in order to get retailers to take a chance on them. The system was originally targeted for release in spring '85, but the release date was pushed back. After test-marketing in the New York City area in late fall, the system was released nationwide in February, 1986. Nintendo also created restraints on 3rd party software developers to prevent oversaturation of games that contributed to the "Crash". In the end the gamble paid off, the NES had sold over 62 million systems and over 500 million games, making it the most popular videogame system in history, up to that time.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System Around 1988 Nintendo was still enjoying the success of it’s NES / Famicom system and didn’t see no rush in jumping on the 16-bit bandwagon. However the NEC PCengine / Turbografix in Japan, and the Sega Genesis in the US were beginning to dominate the videogame market. The jump to 16-bit was no real surprise. Originally Nintendo wanted the Famicom to be 16-bit, but resources at the time were too expensive. The Super Famicom was released in the November, and basically took over 80 percent of the Japanese market once established. They still had a lot of ground to cover to catch up with the other 16-bit systems. The system itself was quite impressive introducing scaling and rotation effects (the famous Mode 7) that could not be duplicated on the other systems. Nintendo knew they also needed more 3rd Party support. They learned their lesson of placing restrictions on developers who wished to make games for other platforms. This attracted developers who created games for other systems to make games also for the Super Famicom. Actually, this was the only way Nintendo could guarantee a large number of quality games since most major developers had already signed on with Sega. Nintendo was still slow to release the system overseas. A shortage of supplies, and the fact that the NES was still making money in the US delayed the Super Famicom’s release. The system was finally released in the US on September 1st 1991, and called the SuperNES. The UK released followed a year later in April 1992. The SuperNES soon amassed a large library competing toe to toe with Sega. Their popular character franchises and exclusive games kept them in a heated rivalry. Arcade games played a strong role in the competition. SuperNES got the jump on Sega by releasing the popular arcade title ‘Street Fighter 2’ with temporary exclusivity. Soon after they lost the edge when they chose to censor another popular arcade fighter ‘Mortal Kombat’, which Sega released unedited. The SuperNES remained popular for the next years. Sega began introducing game enhancing add-ons such as the Sega CD, and 3D gaming was growing in popularity. Nintendo refused to fall behind the times, and also began working on a CD based add-on. With numerous disagreements with Sony and later Phillips, and with production delays, Nintendo scrapped the project. They approached A new developer named Argonaut Software who produced a chip that could be added to game carts. This chip would allow the SuperNES to produce 3D graphics. The SuperFX chip gave the SuperNES new life, and produced popular games such as Star Fox which was released in 1993. Nintendo continued to use chip enhanced cartridges to maintain the SuperNES’s popularity. Even as 32-bit consoles began to surface, Nintendo continued to surprise gamers. In 1994, Nintendo teamed with a 3rd party developer named RARE. Together both companies produced Donkey Kong Country which used rendered graphics. The game looked as good as first generation 32-bit titles, and kept the SuperNES selling even in a 32-bit generation. In March 27th of 1998 Nintendo decided to release a scaled down cheaper model Super Famicom. It was called Super Famicom Jr and retailed for 7,800 Yen. Not only did Nintendo cut the size of the console, they also cut out the A/V out port and the expansion port. The redesigned model was also released in the US shortly after the debut of Nintendo 64, and called SNES2.

Game Boy Released in 1989. It was in black and white and cartridge form. It is an 8 bit console. It beat out the Sega Game Gear which was in color and had a built in light!! The Game Boy went in color back in 1998. PokeMon was released back in 1998. Which was an emediate sucess. It sold over 60 million copies. In 2oo1 a new Game Boy Advance it has a 32 bit processor! It was pretty much a portable SuperNES! In 2oo3 a new Game Boy Advance SP. Which includes a built in light screen.

Nintendo 64 Nintendo stretched the life of their 16-bit console for as long as they could. Their initial attempts at entering the market with a 32-bit CD add-on  never saw the light of day. After the releases of Sony and Sega’s 32-bit systems, Nintendo began spreading the word of their new console in development. The leap to a 64-bit console became known as Project Reality. The system was a joint venture by Nintendo and Silicon Graphics. Nintendo would later change the name to ‘Ultra 64’. Nintendo shocked developers and gamers alike with the decision to remain with a cartridge format instead of CD’s, which appeared as the most favorable game media. This turned away many 3rd Party software developers who felt the cartridge did not have the storage capacity to handle their game projects (a weakness that hurt the Atari Jaguar). Nintendo stuck by the cartridge format saying that it was the best media to use with the Ultra 64, and that CD’s would be plagued with extreme ‘load’ times. Also carts were more durable then CD’s which are prone to scratching (particularly with younger kids). Eventually Nintendo would put all doubts to rest in 1995 with a playable Super Mario 64 shown at a Japanese trade show. Super Mario 64’s lush 3D visuals were enough to regain interest in Nintendo’s new console. On June 20th, 1996, the again renamed Nintendo 64 was released in Japan along with Super Mario 64 and two other games. It was then released in USA on 26 September in the same year with other countries following soon after. The console was an immediate success, but a shortage of quality games began to slow system sales. Games were released in trickles. Developers found the cartridge format limiting. Effects such as Full Motion Video and large quantities of voiceover, music, and sound effects could not be reproduced due to the limited storage capacity (keep in mind however that N64 can produce CD quality sound). Gamers found some of the N64 game releases cheaper on rival consoles CD formats (Carts had a high manufacturing price which was filtered down, naturally, to the consumer). The same held for other game titles large in size (the more megabits the cart the / the higher the price). Even with the small amount of game releases, Nintendo managed to releases amazing game titles based on franchise characters from their SuperNES / NES days. Also with help from RARE, the company that breathed new life into the SuperNES with “Donkey Kong Country”, The Nintendo 64 saw some great game exclusives that kept gamers happy with their console choice. While 64-bit updates to popular SuperNES games was the way to go, it also created a Nintendo 64 stereotype of being a “Kiddy” console (although most of those supposed kiddy games are amazingly fun). Rival console manufacturers would use this stereotype to their advantage in an effort to attract older ‘hardcore’ gamers. Nintendo clearly understood that the cartridge storage abilities would limit 3rd Party developers. In 1997 they began announcing a device called the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive or N64DD for short. It would be a magnetic disk drive, which connected to the N64’s expansion port. The device would add an addition 4 megabytes of RAM to the N64, and offer 64 megabytes of additional read / writeable RAM for developers to create. The disks could be used to add additional levels, maps, stats, and more to pre-existing games. This device saw numerous delays, and eventually was released in Japan only. Other countries however did receive the N64 Expansion Pack. This accessory was released around 1998. It added an additional 4Mb of RAM . Games specifically made to take advantage of it’s capability could increase the games resolution, improve graphics, make levels larger, etc. For other games however it did nothing. In the end Nintendo 64 was a remarkable machine that brought about innovation such as controller ‘rumble’ effects, and analog / digital controllers. The console was supported well into 2002, and sold over 30 million units worldwide. It also marked the end of the ‘Cartridge Era’.

Nintendo GameCube At an electronic show called E3 in 1999, Nintendo announced the initial specifications for its next-generation console, code-named Dolphin. The first thing that Nintendo made clear was that the new system would not use a cartridge medium. The Nintendo 64 had done decent with the format, but games were expensive, and the format alienated some 3rd Party developers. As months past more specifics were released about the new console. Nintendo would have several companies involved in the project. IBM designed and manufactured the console processor called the “Gekko”. The graphics processor called “Flipper” was designed by a small startup company called ArtX who was later bought out by ATI. The graphics chip was manufactured by NEC. Macronix and Factor 5 contributed the sound with MoSys providing the system memory. Lastly the console would use a proprietary 8cm optical disc game format capable of holding 1.5GB of data (twice the capacity of CD-ROMs). This disk was developed and manufactured by Matsushita (best known by its Panasonic brand name). It became clear that Nintendo was indeed developing something impressive. Nintendo’s new console was revealed on August 24, 2000 at their Nintendo Spaceworld show. The console, which was now being called Starcube, was officially named the Nintendo GameCube. A fitting name for one of the smallest console system in recent history. The GameCube’s power was demonstrated with a tech demo of a game simply called “Mario 128”. Displaying textures would be the GameCube's most potent asset. GameCube uses 6-to-1 texture compression, which will let texture data be shrunk to one-sixth its original size, with no appreciable hit on the hardware. This was clearly apparent as onlookers watched 128 rendered Mario character models running around the screen at once. Many questioned why Nintendo would not utilize the immense DVD storage format and movie playback that rival consoles were using. Nintendo would state that they have made a next-generation, powerful, easy to understand, and easy to develop gaming system and that would be their only focus. Nintendo also unveiled new forms of connectivity between Nintendo GameCube and their popular handheld portable Game Boy® Advance. By linking the two systems, the Game Boy Advance can be used as more than a controller. For instance, players can transfer a character trained on GameCube to Game Boy Advance to continue game play while away from home. Or, transport characters or items via Game Boy Advance to trade with friends. And, with innovative technology such as "tilt control," players can maneuver a character just by tilting a Game Boy Advance controller. Nintendo would reveal other linking concepts in later years. Nintendo launched the GameCube in Japan on September 14 2001. Although Nintendo would market the console in other colors, only the Indigo (purple) version was initially available. The decision to not use their proprietary format (rather then DVD) allowed Nintendo the ability to market the GameCube for around $100 less then the Playstation 2 and X-Box (Japan retailed at 25,000 yen). . A lack of initial game titles, plus a subdued publicity campaign, may have hindered the Japanese GameCube launch. Nintendo released only three games (Luigi's Mansion, Super Monkey Ball, and Wave Race: Blue Storm) and managed to sell 300,000 of 450,000 shipped units. Clearly not the usual publicized launch that usually occurs abroad, but another contributing factor may have been the world’s focus on the September 11th Terrorist Attack on the US. The GameCube launch in the US was originally scheduled for November 5, 2001. Nintendo felt it wiser to delay the release in order to make more units and launch titles available. The GameCube was officially launched on November 18th, only a mere few days after the release of Microsoft’s Xbox. Over 700,000 units and 8 launch titles were available at launch. Even with two other next generation consoles on the market, the GameCube still managed to sell out it’s initial shipment. The success followed with the European launch in May of 2002. As the other rival consoles went about unveiling their online gaming strategies, Nintendo merely announced the availability of a network adapter that could be used with Phantasy Star Online. It appeared as if online gaming was not part on Nintendo’s overall strategy at that point. The main focus however was to release quality game titles which had slowed to a trickle since the console’s debut. Toward the end of 2002 however, the GameCube saw the release of many quality “must have” exclusive games. The GameCube has truly restored Nintendo’s popularity with both gamers and developers. It’s small unique shape and makeshift handle has inspired developers to create an attaching LCD screen and battery pack for a somewhat portable game experience. Remakes and sequels to Nintendo’s popular franchise characters has pushed software sales for the console even further. It seems Nintendo has done well to continue their console legacy.

Nintendo Company History Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the acknowledged worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. To date, Nintendo has sold more than one billion video games worldwide, created such industry icons as Mario and Donkey Kong and launched franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems, including Nintendo GameCube and the Game Boy series - the world's best-selling video game system. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American households own a Nintendo game system. 1889 - Fusajiro Yamauchi began manufacturing "Hanafuda," Japanese playing cards in Kyoto. 1902 - Mr. Yamauchi started manufacturing the first playing cards in Japan. Originally for export, the product became popular in Japan as well as abroad. 1933 - Established an unlimited partnership, Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. 1947 - Began a distribution company, Marufuku Co. Ltd. 1950 - Hiroshi Yamauchi, grandson of the original president, took office as President and absorbed the manufacturing operation of Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. 1951 - Changed the company name from Marufuku Co. Ltd. to Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd. 1952 - Consolidated factories were dispersed in Kyoto. 1953 - Became the first to succeed in manufacturing mass-produced plastic playing cards in Japan. 1959 - Started selling cards printed with Walt Disney characters, opening a new market in children's playing cards. The card department boomed! 1962 - In January, listed stock on the second section of the Osaka Stock Exchange and on the Kyoto Stock Exchange. 1963 - Changed company name to Nintendo Co. Ltd. and started manufacturing games in addition to playing cards. 1969 - Expanded and reinforced the game department; built a production plant in Uji City, a suburb of Kyoto. 1970 - Stock listing was changed to the first section of the Osaka Stock Exchange. Reconstruction and enlargement of corporate headquarters was completed. Started selling the Beam Gun series, employing opto-electronics. Introduced electronic technology into the toy industry for the first time in Japan. 1973 - Developed laser clay shooting system to succeed bowling as a major pastime. 1974 - Developed image projection system employing 16mm film projector for amusement arcades. Began exporting them to America and Europe. 1975 - In cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric, developed video game system using electronic video recording (EVR) player. Introduced the microprocessor into the video game system the next year. 1977 - Developed home-use video games in cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric. 1978 - Created and started selling coin-operated video games using microcomputers. 1979 - Started an operations division for coin-operated games. 1980 - Announced a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc. in New York. Started selling "GAME & WATCH" product line. 1981 - Developed and began distribution of the coin-operated video game "Donkey Kong." This video game quickly became the hottest selling individual coin-operated machine in the business. 1982 - Merged New York subsidiary into Nintendo of America Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., with a capital of $600,000. 1983 - Built a new plant in Uji city to increase production capacity and to allow for business expansion. Established Nintendo Entertainment Centres Ltd. in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, to operate a family entertainment center. Raised authorized capital of Nintendo of America Inc. to $10 million. In July, listed stock on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Started selling the home video game console "Family Computer" employing a custom CPU (Custom Processing Unit) and PPU (Picture Processing Unit). 1984 - Developed and started selling the unique 2-screen interactive coin-operated video game "VS. System". 1985 - Started to sell the U.S. version of Family Computer "Nintendo Entertainment System" (NES) in America. The system included R.O.B. - Robotic Operating Buddy - and the games Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. Mario and Luigi became as big a hit as the NES. 1986 - Developed the "Family Computer Disk Drive System" to expand the functions of the Family Computer. Began installation of the "Disk Writer" to rewrite game software. Game Counselors were organized and players from all over the world could call Nintendo for advice on games and strategies. 1987 - Sponsored a Family Computer "Golf Tournament" as a communications test using the public telephone network and Disk Faxes to aid in building a Family Computer network. The NES achieved the status as the #1 selling toy in America and The Legend of Zelda became the first new generation home video game to exceed sales of one million units. 1988 - Nintendo of America Inc. published the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine in July. Researched and developed the Hands Free controller, making the NES accessible to many more Nintendo fans. The game library for the NES grew to 65 titles, helping to broaden the demographics to include more adults. 1989 - Released "The Adventure of Link," sequel to the top-selling game "The Legend of Zelda" in the U.S. Started "World of Nintendo" displays in U.S. to help market Nintendo products. Studies show that children are as familiar with "Mario" as they are with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny! Introduced Game Boy, the first portable, hand-held game system with interchangeable game paks. Nintendo Power magazine became the largest paid-subscription publication in its age category. 1990 - Nintendo Power Fest featuring the Nintendo World Championships tours the country. Japan enters the 16-bit market by releasing the Super Famicom in the fall. 1991 - Nintendo introduces World Class Service Center locations across the U.S. The 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES), along with "Super Mario World," is released in the U.S. 1992 - The Super NES Super Scope and Mario Paint with the Super NES Mouse Accessory were released. The long-awaited "Zelda" sequel, "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past," arrived for the Super NES. Nintendo of America Inc. developed portable Fun Centers to assist the Starlight Foundation in bringing happiness to hospitalized children by allowing them to enjoy their favorite video games during hospital stays. 1993 - Nintendo announces the advent of the Super FX Chip, breakthrough technology for home video systems. The first game using the Super FX Chip, "Star Fox," is released in April. 1994 - The Super Game Boy accessory was released, expanding the library of games that could now be played on the Super NES! Everyone's favorite heroine, Samus, returns in another long-awaited sequel, Super Metroid. Nintendo helped pioneer the development and implementation of an industry-wide rating system. This year also saw the introduction of a game that would set a new standard in video game excellence. Using proprietary Advanced Computer Modeling (ACM) graphics, Donkey Kong Country took the holiday season by storm! Nintendo Gateway projected to reach 40 million travelers. 1995 - Thanks to the outstanding success of Donkey Kong Country, ACM graphics were introduced to the Game Boy system by way of Donkey Kong Land. Along with this great boost to the Game Boy system line, Nintendo also introduced the Play It Loud! series of Game Boy systems. ACM graphics made another appearance on the Super NES with the release of the arcade smash-hit, Killer Instinct. At the same time, Nintendo introduced a 32-bit Virtual Immersion system known as the Virtual Boy. Next, Nintendo responded to the demands of fans with the release of Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2. Nintendo even enhanced the quality of ACM graphics for the upcoming release of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Cruis'n USA and Killer Instinct available in local arcades. Celebration of the one-billionth game pak being sold. 1996 - Nintendo 64 launches in Japan on June 23. Thousands line up to be the first to experience the world's first true 64-bit home video game system. In early September, Nintendo introduces the Game Boy pocket, a sleeker, 30-percent smaller version of the world's most popular hand-held video game system. On September 29, Nintendo 64 launches in North America. Super Mario 64 is proclaimed by many as "the greatest video game of all time!" For the Super NES we saw the release of the third game in the continuing Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. 1998 -Nintendo introduces Game Boy Color and innovative devices Game Boy Camera and Printer, bringing new life to the longest running hit in the history of interactive entertainment. Pokémon, a breakthrough game concept for Game Boy, was introduced to the world and generated a nationwide craze to collect 'em all! The most anticipated video game ever, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64 was released, setting new standards and breaking records for pre-sell for any video game to date. 1999 - The success of the Pokémon franchise expands even further with the release of Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Yellow, and the first Pokémon title for the Nintendo 64, Pokémon Snap. Nintendo releases several notable N64 titles including Star Wars: Episode 1: Racer, Mario Golf, Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong 64, Mario Party, and Perfect Dark. At E3, Nintendo announces development plans for a new system, code-named Dolphin, that will utilize an IBM Gekko processor and Matsushita's proprietary optical disk technology. 2000 - Nintendo sells its one hundred millionth Game Boy unit, ending the year with more than 110 million sold. Game Boy is responsible for 47% of all U.S. hardware system sales (an all-time high for a portable device). Pokémon Stadium is the top-selling console game, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, both for N64. Pokémon Gold and Silver for Game Boy Color make their U.S. debut in October, becoming the fastest-selling games of all time by selling a combined 1.4 million copies in one week and 6 million through December. 2001 - Beloved Nintendo characters Mario and Donkey Kong celebrate their 20th anniversaries. Nintendo launches its highly anticipated Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21. The portable powerhouse debuts in the U.S. on June 11, and sells one million units in six weeks. Following the success of the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo launches the Nintendo GameCube home video game console in Japan on September 14. The U.S. launch on November 18 smashes previous U.S. sales records, becoming the fastest-selling next generation hardware system. 2002 - After 52 years at the helm of Nintendo Co., Ltd., Hiroshi Yamauchi steps down and names Satoru Iwata his successor. Nintendo releases a slew of hot titles for the Nintendo GameCube including Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4, Animal Crossing, Eternal Darkness, and the game that many laud as the greatest title of 2002, Metroid Prime. Nintendo releases their first online game for the Nintendo GameCube, Phantasy Star Online. By the end of 2002, more than 25 million Game Boy Advance units are in homes around the world.

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NINTENDO™ Sega™

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